Guardian Angels
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot, light slash. Really, it's always a great idea to tick off Akashi. —Or, Aomine and Kise look out for Kuroko's best interests. *coupled with "Shackles;" AU; Rakuzan!Kuroko; light T*


**Guardian Angels**

A Kuroko no Basuke oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Kuroko no Basuke_ characters belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei, not to me. Tbh, Kikasa before Aokise… ;P Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: This is a companion fic to my Akakuro oneshot, "Shackles," which you may enjoy but do not _have_ to read in order to enjoy this.

- ^-^3

Kise lounges in Aomine's room, on his back, with his hands clasped atop his belly. He's much too comfortable here at the Aomine home, but Aomine doesn't care, not really. It's been like this for a little while now, and, though Aomine was fighting it in the beginning, he's just about caved. (A part of him gets why the girls go after him, but Aomine would never admit it—at least, not aloud with Kise in earshot.)

Even without any words, somehow Kise just _knows_. He turns his head and winks at finding Aomine's eyes having lifted off the page of his magazine (because graduation's right around the corner—there's no longer a need to study).

"Should we go somewhere?"

Aomine doesn't like the topic.

Kise smiles. "Hey, Aominecchi~ You're thinking perverted things again, aren't you?"

"Shut up, you dumb blond. And I'm perfectly fine where I am right now."

"Who's stupid? That's not what I meant, Aominecchi." Kise sighs and sits up, poking Aomine in the leg. "We should celebrate our achievement. Not only did we win again for our last year, but we're graduating. We're leaving Teikou behind us." He looks away, and Aomine appreciates that.

Because there's a quiet "We're leaving everyone behind us" that just can't be spoken. It's a nasty reminder of what's happened to their team…to their friendships.

(Another thing Aomine will never confess aloud—he appreciates Kise's companionship while all of this has been happening. Perhaps they were never really friends, but it's nice to have someone hold you when the world seems to be slipping away from under your feet. And Aomine's been that way ever since people started giving up on him, stopped challenging him…)

- ^-^3

That night, after graduation, it feels so strange.

Sure, Kise is with his favorite Aominecchi (well, there's only one, but still!), and they've been milling about the whole day and evening after Akashicchi summoned them (all but Kurokocchi), but it just feels _weird_.

"What are you doing?" Aominecchi says, pulling Kise from his thoughts with a tug on his arm.

Kise tries to smile, but the feeling doesn't reach his face, so he gives up. "Should…should we have stood up for Kurokocchi?"

Aominecchi shrugs, but Kise knows it'll sting for a long time, this subject. "So he's going to Rakuzan. It's his choice, Kise. Tetsu knows how to take care of himself."

"C'mon! We both know what Akashicchi is really like! We both know he had to order Kurokocchi—"

"_Kise_."

Aominecchi's tone is harsh but pained. Kise slips his hand into his without even thinking about the distance to the trains. (Besides, no one looks at teens at night strangely anymore, right? A little handholding can't hurt.)

"Look…we've just got to let it go. Tetsu decided to follow Akashi. That's that."

Kise frowns. He wants to ask, "Then why do you look ready to beat yourself up?" But it's useless. He gets it, that Aominecchi can only deal so long as he believes Kurokocchi actually had a choice in the decision for where to attend high school.

Aominecchi squeezes his hand. "Besides, aren't there other things to worry about?" He sighs exasperatedly and scratches his head. "Man, I thought Akashi was gonna kill us earlier with that stare alone…!"

"Meh, let Akashicchi stare." The model grins impishly. "You would've looked dashing in Kaijou's blue and white, Aominecchi!"

To the model's surprise, Aominecchi stops him in the shadow of the streetlight and kisses him. It's stunning. Their first kiss. …was this how it was supposed to happen?

(Kise can't really think when Aominecchi does this, and he never will in the future whenever Aominecchi kisses him, because it always comes as such a surprise, that such a big ol' brute can be so gentle and affectionate.)

"…you would've looked good in Touou's black and red," the blue-haired boy mumbles.

The night gets a little better then.

- ^-^3

They never go on a trip.

Who has the time? That's what Aomine thinks. Though a part of him wonders what they would've done anyway on a trip, Aomine enjoys the break before they begin high school anyway. Both he and Kise know that, once school and basketball club begin again, they're barely going to see each other. It might not mean that Aomine's got something to do, because he still enjoys being a member of the "Going Home" club, but Kise…

Little by little, Aomine _does_ notice. It's a little hard to pass by some of the magazines these days and miss seeing that sultry face on covers. Add to that that Kise is more serious about practice than Aomine ever was…

Hmph. Well, maybe he and Kise were just a fling or something. An idea borne in the loneliness that was Teikou.

Still, summer's great. It's almost as though nothing ever happened, if Aomine can just avoid thinking about how empty his days seem (even Satsuki's begun to call him "Aomine-kun" to practice for high school—she says she doesn't want people's tongues wagging, which is crap).

Kise keeps making mouth noises, though, about seeing Kuroko. "We haven't seen him in a while…" and "I bet he misses you…" and "Don't you miss him?" and "I miss Kurokocchi…"

(It takes a while, but eventually Aomine warms up to the idea. It takes until high school begins, but Aomine believes that—with Kise alongside him—he might be able to handle seeing Kuroko once again.)

- ^-^3

It's ridiculous.

Ridiculously _cute_~!

Kise adores the puppy they find one evening, and it distracts him long enough every time to make Kise forget to report everything Kurokocchi has texted them since they left Teikou.

(Maybe that's a good thing, though. Kurokocchi doesn't realize it, but his short answers about Akashicchi and Rakuzan have seriously got Kise worried. And, should Kise tell Aominecchi, Aominecchi might just be dumb enough to go kick down the doors to Rakuzan…or maybe even the Akashi house.)

They can't keep Nigou—for "Tetsuya number two," duh!—at Kise's home because Kise's family is fairly big and doesn't want to look after a dog. So Kise whips out the big eyes on Aominecchi, who curses and begrudgingly takes Nigou in.

(And every time Kise sees Aominecchi with Nigou, his heart softens. It's just too cute. It's like seeing Aominecchi and Kurokocchi getting along again, but cuter!)

A great idea sparks: "Why not bring Nigou along when we go see Kurokocchi tomorrow?" Kise asks.

A month has passed since they found Nigou, and Kise tries so hard not to laugh each and every time Aominecchi and Nigou turn to look at him at the same time…with almost the same exact expression on their faces!

Kise takes a breath, gives Aominecchi a moment to answer.

His heart jumps, though, when he watches Aominecchi smile as he pats Nigou on the head. "Yeah. I think Tetsu would like that."

(Kise can barely breathe. If he and Aominecchi are Kurokocchi's guardian angels, then can Nigou please be their little cupid or something?!)

- ^-^3

Akashi's reaction…well, it's not unexpected, not really.

In a way, though, it's almost priceless. Aomine wants to laugh when he sees Akashi keep some distance between him and Nigou, and Aomine thinks he captures a glimmer of disgust in those red and yellow eyes when Kuroko enjoys having his hand licked by Nigou.

Still, isn't calling Nigou a beast and a "mongrel" a bit too much?

No sooner than Aomine and Kise had sat down and introduced Nigou to Kuroko than Akashi left. (A part of Aomine thinks, "Ah, Akashi repellant, at last.")

Kuroko watches his back disappear into the crowd before returning his attention to Aomine and Kise. "…I'm sorry about that."

Aomine frowns. Jeez, where has the old Kuroko gone? Apologizing, and for someone else? Especially for Akashi…

So the dark-skinned Miracle musters up the courage and says it with a frown: "Tetsu, are you happy?"

Kuroko…doesn't answer him.

Aomine half smiles, but the dull ache in his heart from before, when things first began their rolling descent downhill during middle school… Aomine can feel the echoes of that pain returning, and the echoes grow loud enough to make his heart throb as conversation drops off with Kuroko (even with chatty Kise there), and Aomine shakes his head as they leave.

Kuroko just isn't Kuroko anymore.

_He's not Tetsu_.

- ^-^3

A week after meeting with Kurokocchi—for the first time in months—Kise feeds Nigou over at Aominecchi's place. But he's not just looking after Nigou or Kurokocchi anymore; he's looking after Aominecchi now, too.

"You should see my spread in this month's _Zunon Boy_," the model tells his friend once Nigou's preoccupied with kibble.

"Uhn," Aominecchi mumbles. He's got headphones on and yet is still channel-surfing on the TV. Sometimes Aominecchi doesn't make any sense to Kise.

Kise walks over into the living room and plops down beside Aominecchi. He drags a hand lazily over Aominecchi's toned arm (dammit, he'll always be a little bit better in shape than Kise, won't he?), from bicep to forearm to wrist. Aominecchi doesn't even twitch.

(Seriously, how long does it take a guy to notice these things? *sigh*)

"Think we'll see Kurokocchi again sometime?" Kise asks. (A part of him muses that, aside from any physical pursuits, the only thing the two of them are any good for is talking about Kurokocchi and worrying over him together…and taking care of Nigou.)

Aominecchi shrugs. "Only on the court. I have a feeling that, after meeting Nigou, Akashi won't let Kuroko off his leash anytime soon."

"Hmm…" Kise stares up at Aominecchi. It strikes him then, that this boy beside him is sad and good-looking and a lazy jerk all at once. Kise loves it. And, though it's a stiff subject, Kise quips, "You know, you were the only dog who wouldn't obey Akashicchi…"

The blue-haired boy smiles halfheartedly and glances at him. "Plus I almost led you astray."

Kise blushes as Aominecchi grips his hand and doesn't let go. "D-Did not! I was never gonna go to Touou!" (Liar.)

Aominecchi raises a single eyebrow—so infuriating. "Even if Akashi hadn't decreed that we'd all be splitting up…? Even you listen to him, Kise."

The blond shuts up with a pout that's less annoyed and more hurt, but he figures Aominecchi's right. If only he'd had the guts to say he'd go to school with Aominecchi… If only Aominecchi had had the guts to say, "Kise, you're coming with me."

If only Kurokocchi had had the guts to stand up to Akashicchi.

(Because that's the thing about Kurokocchi, Kise realizes in that very second: The moment Kurokocchi gives up, all hope is lost, because then no one else can ever hope for anything…ever again.

And didn't he give up the moment he followed Akashicchi to Rakuzan?)

- ^-^3

**ANGST. Yup. Sorry if this was a little drabble-y…I guess it was… I like switching off with Ao's and Kise's 3****rd****-person POVs, though, because they're so different. But I think they really do care about Kuroko… OH, THE FRIENDSHIP, FOR THE LOVE OF FEELS! Dx Anyway, yeah. If you haven't read "Shackles," you might want to, because Kuroko's POV is in that, and just… URGH. I can't stop writing these characters. And I love writing Kise! XD Oh, and cover drawn, colored, and edited/arranged by me—I LOVE DRAWING/COLORING KISE!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**-mew-tsubaki :}**


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